Tyrrell 003
| Company type | Racing car |
|---|---|
| Industry | Formula One racing |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | Derek Gardner (designer), Ken Tyrrell (team principal) |
| Products | Formula One cars |
| Parent | Tyrrell Racing Organisation |
The Tyrrell 003 is a Formula One racing vehicle engineered by Tyrrell’s lead designer, Derek Gardner, and competed during the and seasons. It was piloted by Jackie Stewart, who secured the 1971 World Drivers' Championship with this model.
Building upon the foundation of the Tyrrell 001, the 003 incorporated a redesigned front end, an extended wheelbase, and a slimmer monocoque structure.
Development
Following dissatisfaction with the March Engineering chassis performance in , team principal Ken Tyrrell chose to commission a proprietary car. He engaged Derek Gardner to privately create the design, personally funding more than £22,000. This initiative, known internally as "SP" (Special Project), culminated in the Tyrrell 001, which made its first appearance at Oulton Park in a non-championship event.
After the season concluded, Gardner enhanced the design by adjusting elements such as the air intake, nose profile, wheelbase length, and monocoque dimensions, leading to the creation of the 002 and 003 chassis for the campaign. Concurrently, the team transitioned from Dunlop to Goodyear tyres following Dunlop’s withdrawal from Formula One.
Racing history
The Tyrrell 003 made its competitive debut with Jackie Stewart at the 1971 Spanish Grand Prix, winning on its inaugural outing. Capitalizing on challenges faced by rivals Lotus and Ferrari that year, Tyrrell achieved six victories as Stewart clinched his second World Championship title. Stewart and teammate François Cevert utilized different chassis tailored to their statures: Stewart drove the 003 while Cevert used the Tyrrell 002. New front-end bodywork was introduced on Stewart’s 003 during the French Grand Prix and subsequently applied to Cevert’s 002 at the British Grand Prix.
In , Lotus mounted a strong comeback with Emerson Fittipaldi emerging as Stewart’s primary competitor. The Tyrrell 003 was frequently outpaced by the advanced Lotus 72, with Tyrrell only securing wins when the Lotus failed to finish. Fittipaldi ultimately dominated the championship. Stewart managed two victories in 1972 driving the 003 (alongside two wins in the newer 005), marking the conclusion of the 003’s competitive tenure. The Tyrrell 003 remains recognized as Tyrrell’s most triumphant chassis.
Currently, this car is exhibited at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. It was succeeded by the 005 model for .
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (bold denotes pole position, italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Elf Team Tyrrell | RSA | ESP | MON | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | 73† | 1st | ||
| Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jackie Stewart | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 5 | ||||||
| 1972 | Elf Team Tyrrell | ARG | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | 51‡ | 2nd | |
| Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jackie Stewart | 1 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 2 | 11 |
† From total points earned in , 54 were accumulated using Tyrrell 003; remaining points came from Tyrrell models 001 and 002.
‡ Of points gathered in , 24 originated from performances with Tyrrell 003; others were scored with Tyrrell chassis numbered 002, 004, and 005.
References
- Footnotes
- Sources